New Titan is American as heck

[RicerX]

From what I understand, Nissan is really looking at filling out their lineup with this thing. I already think the majority of full size pickups are waaaay too damn big for what 90% of people use them for, and this thing is going to be as big or bigger. So they have the frontier handling the midsize pickup realm, now they will have a Titan 150 for the F150 type stuff, and a Titan 150 plus for the bigger stuff (which the diesel will come in).
Clearly they benchmarked the F series for this truck.

Hmm. Disappointing. I don't want or need an overdone pen15-compensator. What I need is a WORKHORSE.

I understand your disappointment and the context of it, but in contrast, James's post gets me pumped. While I share some of your sentiments regarding the F150, it is one of the best selling vehicles in the country and if Nissan was to pick a truck to benchmark with the new Titan, they've picked the right one. They have no choice but to knock the ball out of the park with the Titan. I have a sneaking suspicion that they're onto something here.

Now - tease the damn thing or something! We have seen teasers of the Max and a full reveal of the Q60, but the Titan has been in work for far longer and all we have seen is a Cummins logo on an engine block.

[Desert Rat]

Love my Cummins powered 2007 Ram quad cab 4x4. Main reason I bought it is because of the Cummins engine and real solid axles front and rear. IFS is garbage over the long haul in a 4x4 and most people who do true wheeling ditch IFS in favor of a solid axle. Not that I rockcrawl with a truck this size, but I appreciate the simplicity and durability of it.

The Titan diesel will be a niche vehicle and i"m not sure how well it will be received. People who want a true HD will buy what the big 3 already offer. I do wonder what the demand is for a heavy half ton. It won't get the fuel economy of the little diesel in the Ram 1500, but it'll certainly pack more grunt. I hope Nissan puts real axles under this because the crap Dana axle they have now isn't even enough for the 5.6, and hundreds of rear diff failures have proven that over the years.

Looking forward to the release to see if it's a truck I can get excited about...not that I'm in the market since the Ram has under 100k and is paid for.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I believe American Axle is the supplier for the rear. It MIGHT be split with Dana as well. Maybe one gets diesel and heavy duty applications, and the other gets the rest.
I thought the Titan's rear diff problems were mainly confined to the first year or so, prior to the addition of the finned diff cover. I know they had a few out there that had a slight howel, but wasn't aware of any newer ones flat out self destructing.

[Desert Rat]

I believe American Axle is the supplier for the rear. It MIGHT be split with Dana as well. Maybe one gets diesel and heavy duty applications, and the other gets the rest.
I thought the Titan's rear diff problems were mainly confined to the first year or so, prior to the addition of the finned diff cover. I know they had a few out there that had a slight howel, but wasn't aware of any newer ones flat out self destructing.

The finned diff cover allows for more fluid capacity and enables the rear to run a bit cooler, but many still failed under heavy towing applications. Putting a 9000+ lb tow rating on such a light duty rear end was asking for trouble.

[Jesda]

The new Titan looks like some kind of 90s Korean turd.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Much ugly. Wow.

[frapjap]

If it performs and fits a market segment, who gives a damn?
The newest F150 has the same ugly a** front end styling. Actually, side by side, they look damn similar...



Besides, a truck wasn't made for looks!

[Ace2cool]

But looks are an added bonus. I love the way my 09 F150 looks. I wanna know wtf ford was thinking with the new headlights. The grille I can deal with, but those headlights are just.... gah.

The Titan actually looks decent to me. Looks like what I wish Ford would've done. But here's a game: cover the front end of the Titan with your thumb. Voila! Dodge Ram 2500.

[numbnuts240]

But here's a game: cover the front end of the Titan with your thumb. Voila! toyota tundra.

ftfy

[Ace2cool]

Cab's too straight. Looks more like a Ram to me

[numbnuts240]

i'm looking mostly at the bed, but i smell what you're cooking.

[Desert Rat]

Nothing ground breaking here. Bland styling and a truck with an identity crisis...too heavy to be a halfton and not HD enough compete with the big 3 HD trucks.

[MinisterofDOOM]

THAT...is one UGLY bird.

That thing is terrible. It's offensive. It looks like a Chinese knockoff of a real truck that Jiangling would crank out. What the Hell went wrong?! I really, really hate it.

I know that ridonculously huge grilles and oversized headlight housings are the cool fad now, but it IS entirely possible to do that (abominable though it may be) WITHOUT making those two features look less attractive than something that fell out of a large mammal's a**.

The chrome-grille models look even worse:

Nissan owes me a new Das Keyboard, because I just hurked all over mine.

I can imagine the design process for this truck being very similar to the 2nd gen Tundra:
Bigwig 1: Hey guys, everyone things our styling is too conservative. We need to fix that with the next gen.
Bigwig 2: What does "too conservative" even mean?
Bigwig 1: I think it means not enough chrome.
Bigwig 3: It means it's not weird enough.
Bigwig 2: Hey now, it's pretty weird. Look at that tailgate latch surround!
Bigwig 1: Yeah nobody likes that and it's really weird.
Bigwig 3: Well look at the Tundra. They made that thing about 6300% more weird-looking and sales took off.
Bigwig 2: Are you sure sales aren't attributable to the fact that it actually had a real powertrain after that redesign?
Bigwig 3: IT GOT WEIRD AND PEOPLE LIKE IT. SEE THAT WEIRDNESS KNOB? CRANK IT THE f*** UP!
Bigwig 2: It also needs a bigger grille and huge fender arches. And headlights big enough to make the grille not look ridiculous.
Bigwig 1: Okay, so checklist here: More Chrome, bigger grille, bigger headlights, bigger fender arches, and at least 6300% more weirdness.
Bigwig 3: Is that number verified Rob?
Bigwig 2: Confirmed, I had our focus groups investigate for exactly this reason.
Bigwig 1: Got it. 6300% more weirdness.
Bigwig 3: Don't forget, focus groups also say it should look "more Japanese". Whatever the Hell that means.
Bigwig 1: Added to the list. Let's reconvene to discuss the concept sketches.

2 weeks later:
Design artist 1: Here's my sketch. It fits all the criteria, but I'm not sure it's very good.
Bigwig 1: This...is...BRILLIANT! Dave, you're a genius! You get a raise and this truck is going into production! High five!
Design artist 1: I do have some suggestions for improvement, but they don't fit the list--
Bigwig 1: THE LIST IS YOUR GOD. You shut up and take your raise!

[AZhitman]

While I don't hate it like MoD does, a few thoughts:

Of course it looks Chinese. Take apart a new Nissan and look who made the components.

Thank God they didn't go the Tundra / Taco route and slap lots of meaningless bulgy cladding on it. And praise heaven - no square wheel arches.

That fender vent/badge doohonkey is McTarded. GTFO off there.

The front end is more "laid-back" than the Furd, but it doesn't really show in pictures. Also, note the windshield rake and the "aero" look of the roof... That's a nice departure from the Big 3 trucks.

I'm not sure how I feel about the little "notch" at the top of the wheelwells, but it carries the design theme across an otherwise bland side.

Let's face it - there's not much you can do to a three-box design to make it unique, especially within the FMVSS and NHTSA parameters and requirements.

I'd be curious to see what [new] trucks other people think are attractive. Personally, I think the new GMC is gorgeous.

LOL @ "Weirdness knob."

[Desert Rat]

Dodge still makes the best looking fullsize trucks, and they have for the past 20 years.

Flame on...LOL

[lne937s]

Some interesting highlights... clearly they are stressing how American it is

[Desert Rat]

...and heater knob 4wd. I HATE that.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I've read a few interviews and notes from the designer referring to the "warrior-like" styling. Yeah. Okay then. I'm sure if you keep saying it enough it will start to actually mean something eventually.

How can that center stack be so huge and yet so cluttered?! It doesn't even have that many buttons by modern standards, but they're practical stacked on top of each other. The start button right next to the transfer case knob? Yeah, that's not going to be a bad idea at all.

...and heater knob 4wd. I HATE that.

Agreed. When it appeared in the early 90s, I thought for sure it would disappear along with the rest of the "hey, computers!" excessive pushbutton knob replacements. Nope. Still here.
I can't imagine being okay with that. How can you feel if things have engaged or disengaged correctly? This isn't some torque-converter fluid-connected nonsense. It's a transfer case. It needs a lever.

[frapjap]

I really like the redneck drain-able mobile beer cooler idea!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Think of all the natty light and colt 45 you could put in there, Ray!

[Ace2cool]

WTF does anatomical anything have to do with cars/trucks? Dafuq?

But I do like the integrated gooseneck. Something that sold me on my current F150 was the integrated hideaway gooseneck ball.

[dasoupdude]

"Large 20 inch wheels resemble big box-end wrenches."



gg

I like it, but dammit why are these modern cars still rocking stick antennas.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Just noticed:

WTF is THIS?!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Its a warrior helmet. Duh.

[AZhitman]

Just noticed:

WTF is THIS?!

I'm not sure how I feel about the little "notch" at the top of the wheelwells, but it carries the design theme across an otherwise bland side.

[dasoupdude]

Just noticed:

WTF is THIS?!

It helps lock in mud and dirt so when you go back on the road you can show everyone just how american you are from all the off roading you just did.

[Jesda]

DirtLock(TM)

Patented by Nissan

[AZhitman]

As "cool" as diesels are, I fail to see the point unless you literally will need to haul like 7000+ lb regularly. They're expensive to drive and expensive to maintain, so unless you're really needing the extra towing people buy them for completely the wrong reasons... The newer trucks with the boosted V6's seem to be very adequate...

This.

I can tell you that our VQ40 with a six-speed, in a drag race against a [newer] diesel F250, both hauling a 5000-lb loaded trailer up a 7% grade for nearly 2 miles, was a quarter-mile ahead of the Furd once the grade leveled off.

Granted, the F250 could potentially haul 3 of those trailers up the hill, but what's the point if it takes all day to get there?

If I added a tuner (BullyDog or Osiris) to ours, it'd be a friggin' hoot.

With that said, the smaller EcoBoost engines are NOT all they were advertised to be, and if Furd wasn't such a media darling, the complaints would be a hell of a lot more publicized.